My son Taylor sent me a nice card today and my daughter Aimee is again working on Christmas Eve towards her bills. The Christmas Eve Peking duck is roasting fine by itself, so... With all of the last minute shopping done, even though I have yet to wrap all the presents, I decided to drive down to the harbor for a look and to check the boat.
Pulling into the deserted December parking lot, I noticed there wasn’t a breath of wind to ripple the waters surface. In the clear stillness, I watched the remaining commercial boats tugging at their mooring lines with the ebbing tide. I heard a vaguely familiar splash at a distance. Did something fall into the water ?? It sounded somewhat like a feeding fish, maybe a large bass. Then again I heard a slurp and a splash, closer this time. Was it a seal ? It seemed quite large. Then I heard it again, and saw the boil at the outside edge of the dockside lamps glow. Holy cow ! - is that a striper ??No way - It couldn't be - it was 5 feet long !!! Then I saw her swimming slowly against the tide, into the lit waters of the street lamps glow. Wow ! She had to be 70 ! - no 85 pounds AT LEAST !?As the huge striper swam by, it rolled slowly over on one side and I swear she winked at me as if to say :
“ AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT ” !
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Captain Bruce & “Marilyn S”
